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Luminita Mihai Cioaba

Luminita Mihai Cioaba, the daughter of a Bulibasha (the king of a Gypsy nation or tribe in a Turkish term used by the Romanian Roma), is both a poet and a prose writer. Her book, The Lost Country, is a volume of traditional stories more or less as told to her by her grandmother, as she has described it; but clearly they are elaborated and filled in with detail in a way more modern than traditional oral tales. The title story is a fable of why the Gypsies must always be on the road and why they have no home. Others represent Roma life in various ways-- violence, magicians, music, dance--but the lens is always that of a folk or mythic tale, and a woman's perspective. Many are told by internal narrators, usually old grannies to young women entering the world. Cioaba's collections of poetry include Earth's Root and The Rain Merchant. She has been honored with literary awards in Romania and Italy. The Lost Country was first published with Romanian and Romani versions in Sibiu, Romania, in 2002. Sorkin and Cirstea's English version is currently seeking a publisher.

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Words without Borders opens doors to international exchange through translation, publication, and promotion of the best international literature. Every month we publish select prose and poetry on our site. In addition we develop print anthologies, work with educators to bring literature in translation into classrooms, host events with foreign authors, and maintain an extensive archive of global writing.